Connecticut Boy Scouts Council Sued Over Alleged Sex Abuse

Two New Fairfield men have filed lawsuits against the Fairfield County Council of Boy Scouts and the national Boy Scout organization, claiming they did nothing to stop a former Scout leader from molesting them in the 1970s and 1980s.

One lawsuit, filed last month, accuses the former scoutmaster of Troop 137 of molesting the boy when he was between the ages of 11 and 13. The lawsuit alleges that the man, who was later convicted in a different sexual assault case, molested the boy numerous times on camping trips.

The victim is identified only as John Doe in the lawsuit. His attorney, Paul Slager of Silver, Golub and Teitel of Stamford, petitioned the court to allow him to file the lawsuit using the psuedonym. Another hearing is scheduled for Feb. 13 in Stamford Superior Court to determine if the psuedonym will be used throughout the entire legal proceeding.

In his motion to keep the name sealed Slager said the victim is a local contractor whose business could be significantly impacted by the publicity.

The scoutmaster is not a defendant in the lawsuit, but is accused of sexually assaulting the youth over a three-year period, the lawsuit charges. The lawsuit seeks at least $50,000.

Hartford attorney Philip Newbury, who represents the Boy Scouts, said he couldn't comment on pending litigation and referred all questions to the national organization.

The scoutmaster was the leader of Troop 137 in New Fairfield for at least 18 years, the suit states.

The lawsuit alleges that both the Connecticut chapter and the national boy scout organization were aware that there was widespread sexual abuse occurring in boy scout troops across the country but that they kept those records secret, exposing more children to harm.

The lawsuit alleges that the local agency allowed the scoutmaster to take scouts on overnight camping trips and other outings where there was little or no parental supervision.

The lawsuit alleges that on some of these camping trips, the scoutmaster "encouraged John Doe to participate in outdoor and life skills training in order to earn merit badges." The lawsuit alleges that once on the camping trips, he ordered John Doe to share a tent with him and then sexually assaulted him.

The other lawsuit makes similar allegations. Filed in Stamford court last July, it alleges that on at least four camping trips in the mid-to-late 1970's the same scoutmaster molested another boy who was 11 when the abuse started.

That lawsuit alleges the scoutmaster snuck into the victim's tent at least twice and molested him and that on two other occasions he arranged to take the victim fishing alone and molested him.

The Boy Scouts of America have come under fire recently when it was revealed in lawsuits that they kept secret files called the "ineligible volunteer files" but never shared them wioth local organizations or the public until ordered to do so by the courts.

The Los Angelas Times obtained the files and posted them on-line last October.